Which Allied declaration did Emperor Hirohito announce Japan had accepted in August 1945?

Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted the Potsdam Declaration in August 1945.

Issued on 26 July 1945, the declaration set out Allied terms for Japan’s surrender. The United States, the United Kingdom, and China called for the unconditional surrender of Japanese armed forces and warned of “prompt and utter destruction” if Japan refused.

The declaration also addressed Japan’s postwar future. It required the removal of militarist influence, limited Japanese sovereignty to specified home islands and other territories chosen by the Allies, and called for the disarmament and demobilization of Japanese forces.

Hirohito’s recorded broadcast on 15 August announced acceptance of those terms. The written Instrument of Surrender was then signed on 2 September. The two documents are related but not identical: the declaration stated the Allied conditions, while the instrument formally recorded Japan’s capitulation.